The Hard Ride--1971

Movie Notes from Vantucky--Vancouver, Washington

I’ve recently re-located from NorthEast Ohio (the Rust Belt) to the Pacific NorthWest (HippieFornia). I live in Vancouver, Washington where living is reasonable--no state income tax, a winning football team in Seattle, and legal marijuana.

Not that I partake, which I don’t. I know, I know.....I was a teenager in the 60s and we were all supposed to be reefer-puffers from birth. I know, I know.....I enlisted in the Army in the 60s too, and we were all supposed to be addicts. That’s right children--I enlisted of my own free will during a time of anti-war protests and the SDS and all that nonsense. No draft-dodging for this kid. I did it because one of us had to, and the protesters didn't have the heart, spine, sense of duty, courage, or love of country.

I received my Honorable discharge from the United States Army in 1971 and left the active service of my country carrying the rank of Sergeant and the thanks of a grateful nation. One other really cool thing that happened in 1971 was the release of a movie titled The Hard Ride, which I recently watched courtesy of my Netflix account, fed through my Beloved ROKU box into the wide-screen high-definition 32 inch Sceptre TV, all made possible with the cooperation of the Xfinity home wireless network, which was working flawlessly for the duration of the film.

When I lived in the Rust Belt, I had a larger home--and a larger TV. I've downsized. Life is good. In 32 inch WS HD glory.

There’s not a whole lot of plot to get in the way of the long motorcycle rides, scenic wonder of Yosemite and the central California coastline, and the occasional nekkid titty. Vietnam hero returns to buddy’s hometown to bury him and grant his last wish of having certain people at the funeral. Kind-hearted hero falls for buddy’s girl and runs afoul of evil bikers. We get some lessons in the isms of the day--racism and sexism--along the way. Kind-hearted hero dies in the final scenes (shot by a nasty biker--hope I didn't spoil it for anyone) and is buried next to his Vietnam war buddy. Fade to patriotic finale.

The music that permeated all movies of the late 60s and early 70s is in full swing, and a soundtrack record was released. The opening song was performed by Bill Medley. No, that's not an alias. He was one of The Righteous Brothers. Fine.....Google it then.

As the male lead, and Vietnam war hero, we got Troy, New York native and Budweiser Malt Liquor spokesman Robert Fuller. When he was born, his dance instructor parents named him Buddy Lee. A fine handle if you ask me, but Bob Fuller is pretty good too. In real life he was a Korean war veteran, which explains why he looked so doggone good in his uniform in this movie. He went on to fame and fortune in Wagon Train and Emergency. A good guy all the way around.

The female lead and love interest was played by El Lay native Sherry Bain, a raven-haired beauty and absolute hottie who looked quite natural on the back of the chopper featured in this movie. Sherry also starred in 1971s “The Wild Riders”. It was a motorcycle year for Sherry. Her filmography starts abruptly in 1971 and ends just as abruptly in 1978. A true 70s sensation.

This is a real “don't miss” if you want to see a biker movie with a message, but without the sleaze. Wouldn't hurt if you liked the 1970s.


Have a look. You won't regret it. On Netflix.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Very Simple Request

In the late 1970s (that would be during the Carter administration and THAT gas crisis), I drove a Datsun 1200 for a while.   It was a good, small, simple car, and I could afford it even though I had virtually no money. As I recall, it had 12 or 13 inch wheels, no power anything, a four cylinder engine, and a four speed manual transmission.   It was light weight with no amenities.   None.   It had an AM only radio and a tinny little speaker.   No air conditioning either—can you imagine?   No AIR??   On the freeway, when larger cars would pass, the jet wash would buffet the car slightly after the larger car passed.   It was orange, and it routinely got 35 to 50 MPG.   40 to 50 on the freeway and 35 to 45 around town.   When the tires wore out, it was about as expensive as putting new tires on your bicycle.   If it needed brakes, it was about as expensive as putting brakes on your bicycle.   Did I just repeat myself? Here's w...
Read more

Karma

I see that the Marlin's Scott Cousins has been placed on the 15 day disabled list with a "lower back strain", and has been replaced on their active roster by Hanley Ramirez.  And that the Marlins are 3-18 since leaving San Francisco. Karma's a bitch.
Read more

For Love of the Game

  OK then. Baseball is finally over for my beloved Giants. Thank goodness. This leadership pair of Farhan Zaidi and Gabe Kapler has created a baseball team and method that’s just pitiful. It’s painful to watch. And boring. Tedious. A struggle. Never knowing from day to day who is going to be on the club as players or where they might be in the batting order or what positions they might play. No stars. The way Kapler handles pitchers makes it even worse. One result of the inconstancy in player positions is that the Giants lead all of baseball in errors committed in an era of lower error rates in baseball. I can’t be the only one who sees the problem and the source of said problem. It’s no puzzle why the Giants find it impossible to sign truly first rate talent. I’m a big fan of Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Crawford, but, other than that…….Who would want to subject themselves to that nonsense, anyhow? It’s no wonder that the ballpark is habitually empty, or nearly so. ...
Read more